At South Pennine Academies, we want every student to have the best possible chance to achieve in school. Stronger partnerships with families, local businesses, community agencies and universities are essential as we focus on improving student outcomes.

Diary Dates

@Moor_end

Curriculum Rationale

At Moor End Academy our curriculum is rich and deep and we ensure all of our students follow a rigorous and challenging curriculum that is designed to prepare them to participate in what is a fast changing and demanding world.

Our intention is that our students will follow a curriculum that enables them to excel and exceed at what they thought possible as well as being given the opportunities to explore the world around them locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

This will enable them to gain access to the vast opportunities this exploration provides.

At Moor End Academy there are a number of principles which our curriculum is built upon:

1) High challenge and high support:

The curriculum is intended to provide both challenge, which is a precondition for learning to take place, and the opportunity to enable students to receive the necessary support they require to be successful.

To this extent we are constantly looking for opportunities for our students to develop further. For example, where appropriate, some students take additional qualifications in mathematics and languages and students begin their GCSE courses in Year 9 to allow enough time to fully deepen their grasp of increasingly complex concepts and skills. In addition a higher number than the national rate of our students study separate sciences supporting progression onto high quality post 16 courses and careers. At the same time, we provide small group support and interventions where students need additional time to develop and consolidate their skills in the core subjects, in particular where they have entered the academy below national expectations.

The core curriculum offer is rich and deep combining a rigorous focus on key skills, along with an exciting range of activities, both within lessons and beyond the classroom through a variety of enrichment activities. This curriculum is a largely academic one which satisfies both the requirements of legislation as well as offering students a wide range of high quality subjects and ultimately qualifications at the end of Year 11.

2) Individualised and personal to a student’s needs, skills and aspirations:

We believe that a curriculum should fit the needs of its students, not the other way around.

To this end we have devised our curriculum and our options to be flexible and responsive to student need. From Year 9, students are able to choose either a scientific route, or a pathway which includes a greater focus on art, design, technology or computing and business subjects at key stage four whilst maintaining the balance and breadth of qualifications necessary for a successful progression to post 16 provision and beyond.

We are firmly committed to supporting our students irrespective of background to achieve to the best of their ability and beyond. We ensure that students from a perceived disadvantaged background are supported, challenged and inspired to achieve and be given exposure to opportunities which will support social mobility both inside the classroom, and beyond.Our curriculum is regularly reviewed and amended in order to respond to the needs of changing cohorts of students, national expectations of government and employers; in essence, we aim to remain up to date and be proactive rather than reactive in our approach.

3) Academic rigour and expectation:

We provide all students with a sound academic basis and expect all our students to be successful.

The academy supports and encourages our students to meet and exceed the national expectation that a curriculum should provide for successful study of the core subjects, humanities and foreign languages while retaining the breadth provided by the creative arts and technical subjects. We actively encourage our students to consider this balance carefully when making decisions about future study whilst bearing in mind their next steps into further education or careers.

Assessment is planned carefully to provide students with the motivation to persist as learners. Meaningful and robust assessment, and regular marking and feedback, helps students to understand what their strengths are and what they need to improve further. Also, good assessment celebrates achievement and a growth mindset, encouraging students to challenge their own expectations and learning.

4) Enriching experiences and opportunities:

Students are encouraged to participate in a range of enrichment activities both within and beyond the end of the school day to support both their academic and wider development.

These include: masterclasses, targeted visits, booster classes, language development, student council activities, sporting activities, house events, the Duke of Edinburgh Award, Police Cadets, cooking as well as homework and revision spaces for students in both key stage 3 and 4. The academy’s bespoke award programme, the Inspire ME Award motivates and recognises both the academic and wider achievement of our students. We encourage and give our students opportunities to participate in inter-school competitions in a variety of disciplines at a local, national and sometimes even international level.

5) Progression:

Progression is a major facet of our curriculum offer. We aim to put the right building blocks in place for our students to be able to make smooth and rapid progress through transition points. We take seriously this responsibility to prepare our students to be successful and to take meaningful qualifications to prepare them for GCSEs in Year 11, further education (e.g. college, apprenticeships), higher education (University, higher level apprenticeships) and into a range of high quality careers and professions.

Excellent teaching in a broad and balanced curriculum, underpinned by an effective holistic approach to Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural development of our students, will help to prepare them for life in modern Britain. Core British values are promoted in a number of areas across the curriculum.

The curriculum ensures that students are well supported throughout as well as at key transition points in terms of careers education, information, advice and guidance by academy staff and an independent and impartial careers advisor. These sessions include formal sessions and more informal one to one and small group sessions dependent on need.

Be the BEST - become the LEADERS of tomorrow!

Respect:

We are well behaved and considerate to all staff and students in our learning community.

Ambition

We are hard working and have an ambitious attitude to succeed and achieve.

Responsibility

We take ownership and act with integrity; we always do the right thing.